Public v private: customer service compared.

I am regularly struck by the difference between the ways of the private and the public sector.  In Local Government we pay lip service to ‘becoming more commercial’ and ‘taking a more business-like approach’; moreover we aspire to treat ‘residents as customers’.  However it saddens me how often these aspirations fall short of reality.

For reasons too complex to detail here, we have to find a safe parking space for our car in the City of London for three days in November.   Accordingly we have been researching the matter. 

There are effectively two choices:  the private car parks run by NCP and those owned by the Corporation of London.  The Corporation of London will not allow one to book in advance, will not guarantee a space even if one has a season ticket or residents’ parking ticket, and relies for payment on elderly ticket machines at the exit at the time of departure.  In contrast NCP has invested in number plate recognition equipment, will allow you to book a space in advance and pay for it, and will guarantee that that space will be available when you turn up.  Furthermore an early booking results in a useful discount which reduces the price below the Corporation’s daily rate.  No contest really, NCP here we come!

But why does the Corporation of London, which is in many ways an exemplary authority,  compare so woefully  with its direct competitor?  NCP’s  more user friendly approach does not exactly involve rocket science.  The Corporation’s officers are bright people capable of devising and putting a comparable system in place. Can it really simply  be the case that the profit motive  alone provides a spur to innovation and good practice in a way that a local government officer’s genuine desire to serve the community does not?

1666

Dome of St Pauls Cathedral, illuminated to mark the 350th anniversary of the Fire of London, September 1666.

Colour in Cambridge

 It is often difficult for me find time to go to art exhibitions these days, so to go to one twice is quite unusual.

I visited ‘Colour, the Art and Science of Illuminated Manuscripts’, the current show at the Fitzwilliam Museum, when I was on a course in Cambridge some weeks ago.  I was so taken by it that I wanted my husband Nick to enjoy it too.  Accordingly we visited together last week, and I enjoyed it just as much, finding many things that I had not noticed before.

A special exhibition to mark the bicentenary of the museum this year, ‘Colour’ displays some 150 examples of the illuminator’s art from the 9^th to 17^th centuries.  Modern analytical techniques now make it possible to know more about these works. A section of the exhibition looking into the science of this adds an additional dimension to appreciation of the works on show.  The exhibition also explores the origin of colours, and much can be learned about the authenticity and date of a manuscript by sampling the pigments.

Many interesting stories lie behind the manuscripts, almost all of which are ecclesiastical in origin.  The highly decorated personal Books of Hours of the mediaeval aristocracy were particularly striking, evoking the concerns of the original owners about their souls while they reflected their worldly wealth!

You can get a taste of the exhibition from the Fitzwilliam’s website Here..  However, the show goes on until December and if you can make it to Cambridge this autumn a couple of hours spent looking at these ancient marvels would be time well spent.

Detail from the 'The Pabenham-Clifford Hours' England c. 1315

Sudbury Wildlife News

Many of the plants in our wild garden, created 2 years ago with the help of George Millins,  have now finished flowering.  However in recent weeks the warmer weather has led to a marked increase in insects, bees and butterflies.  This is encouraging because in the early summer the lack of activity was concerning.  The pond continues to host a lot of dragonflies and other flying things, and this year for the first time we have some frogs.

In previous years duck have eaten the frogspawn, but it seems that the arrival of a pair of ferociously territorial moorhens in the spring seems to have seen ‘ducklife’ off this year.

I have received a copy of the first edition of a local newsletter, Suffolk Wildlife News, which seeks to draw together the activities of ecological groups in the Sudbury area.  It has been created by Nick Miller of Bures, who can be contacted on nicknewmiller56@gmail.com.  Nick would like to hear from any groups that would like to be included and also anyone who would like to receive the newsletter on a regular basis.

I have put the newsletter under a tab above for a limited period.

Preliminary GCSE and A level results both show an improvement

Over the last couple of weeks we have received the indicative results for this year's A level and GCSE examinations for Suffolk students.Although the basis on which the results are scored by Government have been changed, it seems that measures taken by the County Council to raise standards continue to bear fruit.

This pleases me, not least because when I stood for election over three years ago I said that I wanted to try to have an impact in this area.  Recently I have been lucky to be able to get closer to the issues involved by sitting on the Schools Improvement Board.  One of the measures put in place around the Raising the Bar initiative,  this group meets on a monthly basis. The progress of all schools in the county is closely examined and monitored, and, where necessary, support and help is given.,  As a member of this Board I have been able to visit schools in the county with a schools improvement officer which has been very interesting. 

In addition to the enormously hard work put in by headteachers, a lot of effort is being expended by the Cabinet Member, Gordon Jones, ordinary members and officers at SCC. Although it was never going to be a speedy process, there are now clear signs that gradual but steady progress is being seen.  

Looking at this year's results, as far as GCSE’s are concerned, more of Suffolk’s 16 year olds achieved expected levels of GCSE attainment in English and maths. Provisional results collated in Suffolk suggest a 4% rise in the number of students reaching the threshold
(currently a C grade or above). Self-reported statistics from Suffolk schools show 63% have achieved the target compared with 59% in 2015.

The results also saw a significant improvement for disadvantaged pupils – these are children looked after and pupils eligible for free school meals.

The overall pass rate for A levels has also continued to rise.  Almost 3000 pupils were entered in Suffolk.  Although yet to be verified the figures show that 98.5% of pupils achieved A* to E, in comparison with 98% in 2015. Although 76% of pupils achieved A* to C in comparison with 77% in 2015, early indications show that our academic average points per entry at 32,9 is above the national figure and an improvement on last year, although direct comparisons are difficult due to a change in the Government's score system.

Gainsborough's House collection now on line.

You can now explore the Gainsborough's House collection on line.

A major undertaking, the project to make pictures and articles from the collection available to all on the internet has been supported by a number of different bodies including the New Anglia LEP, the Paul Mellon Centre, NADFAS and Lowell Libson Limited.

The Gainsborough's House permanent collection includes works from every stage of the artist's life, from his early days in Sudbury and Ipswich, to his time in Bath and London.  The collection of drawings is particularly comprehensive and is one of the largest in the world, and the museum also holds a number of artefacts connected with the artist and his contemporaries.

A good deal of information plus a search tool to help you to find what you want can be found by clicking HERE.

I hope that seeing some of the works on offer will encourage people to come and experience the real thing.  There is much to enjoy, including the lovely walled garden, exciting temporary exhibitions, a great shop and the interesting building that is the House itself.